References set forth herein may facilitate understanding of the present invention or the background of the present invention. Inclusion of a reference herein, however, is not intended to and does not constitute an admission that the reference is available as prior art with respect to the present invention.
In the past, for various reasons, there has been only limited success in teaching visually impaired people mathematics. Often, without the aid of sight, a visually impaired or blind student of mathematics does not easily obtain the common or established look, feel and lexicon for numbers and simple mathematical operations that sighted students obtain. As well known to instructors of the visually impaired, the Braille System and the Nemeth Braille System are useful instruction tools in mathematics, but have substantial limitations. For example, because of the manner in which numbers and mathematical operators such as division are represented in those systems, the visually impaired quite often have difficulty in both understanding and/or following in a timely manner the spoken instructions provided to sighted students. These difficulties present a significant problem, for example, when a visually impaired student is taught in a classroom with students who are not visually impaired.
Over the years, a number of teaching aids have been developed for teaching mathematics and other subjects, but none of these teaching aids has adequately addressed the problems of teaching the visually impaired. U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,627, for example, discloses an educational system comprising a set of foam characters including numbers, operational symbols and advanced problem solving activities that include touch sensitive fasteners (hook and loop fasteners) which can be applied to a touch sensitive board. The characters are stored separately from the board and a student can carry out pre-algebraic calculations upon the surface by fastening the characters to the board. No provision is made in the device for the visually impaired to locate, read and/or position the characters. Moreover, application of the characters to the surface is rather cumbersome and slow, making it difficult for a student to apply the characters to the surface in a timely manner, for example, while following a teacher in a typical math class.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,917 also discloses an educational device for teaching arithmetical operations. The device includes a graph- or grid-like base member having a plurality of squares or individual boxes. The device includes packets of numerals for application to the board in a manner set by the grid and an optional rack for holding the numerals for retrieval. The device also includes various nonnumeric cards such as remainder cards, cross-out cards, decimal point cards, arrows, subtraction/addition/multiplication bars, and a long division symbol for application to the base member. The components can be applied to the board through the use of magnets. Like, U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,627, no provision is made for the visually impaired to use the device. Moreover, placing the characters on the grid of the base is likely to be too cumbersome to enable a student to timely use the device while following the instructions of a teacher in a classroom.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,639 discloses a frame with a number line attached to the top of the frame. A math problem is solved by counting the workpieces of the device while sliding them in horizontal grooves on the working surface of the frame. Each row of the frame has ten workpieces (corresponding to, for example, ones, tens, hundreds, thousands etc.) and is designed to allow the student to learn regrouping and place value when performing math problems. Addition and subtraction are done on one side of the work surface, while multiplication and division are done on the other side of the work surface. The workpieces are provided with numeral character and Braille indicia. The device operates in a fashion similar to an abacus and does not replicate the intuitive manner in which math is taught to a sighted student.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,354 discloses a math teaching device including an elongate frame with edge guides. A plurality of counting pieces are slidably mounted in an upper portion of the frame. The counting pieces are independently movable, and are retained in operative relationship with each other and to the frame by the guides. A display is provided behind the counting pieces which can include numerals and Braille indicia. The counting pieces are slid left and right within the frame to perform simple addition and subtraction operations. The device can also be used to teach place value. Like U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,639, the device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,354 does not replicate the intuitive manner in which math is traditionally taught to a sighted student.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,847 discloses a device for teaching the fundamentals of numbers and/or mathematics which includes a base having a front surface that includes a plurality of recesses, oriented in columns. Each column represents ones, tens and hundreds. The recesses receive numerical plates which are sized according to specific columns. An operator recess for receiving an operator plate is also provided to enable mathematical processes to be performed by the user. Numerals are provided on the front of plates and representative indicia such a corresponding number of dots. No provision is made to enable the visually impaired to use the device. Moreover, like several other devices discussed above, the device does not replicate the intuitive manner in which math is traditionally taught to a sighted student.
There is a need for a new system of instructing the visually impaired and other disabled students in mathematics.